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Jared McCain expects it to be ‘really weird’ to face his former Sixers teammates

McCain wasn't in Philly for love but said his time with the Sixers will always be special. "I’ll always be thankful for Philly, for Daryl [Morey] for drafting me. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain said he is appreciative of the Sixers organization and fans that played a part in the start of his career.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain said he is appreciative of the Sixers organization and fans that played a part in the start of his career.Read moreKyle Phillips / AP

For the first time in Jared McCain’s NBA career, he’s coming to Philadelphia as an outsider.

Instead of traveling to Xfinity Mobile Arena from home, he’s getting off the bus from the team hotel. Despite those changes, it already felt “nostalgic” at morning shootaround, McCain said.

All things considered, McCain wasn’t in Philadelphia for long. The second-year player still sees himself as a rookie and hasn’t even hit 82 games in his NBA career because of a torn meniscus that ended his season last year.

» READ MORE: Sixers excited to reunite with Jared McCain, but know he is ‘about to try to come kill us’

But Philly will always be special, he said.

“When I first got drafted, it’s obviously the greatest day of my life to be drafted, so I’ll always be thankful for Philly, for Daryl [Morey] for drafting me,” said McCain, who was drafted 16th overall in 2024. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

“I’ll never have any regret of being here or any attitude towards this organization, because they drafted me. This is the best feeling, and [I was] so grateful to be here, and I’m still grateful to be back now.”

The Sixers traded McCain to the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline for a 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks.

Sixers fans were immediately disappointed with the trade, and McCain has begun to flourish with the Thunder, averaging 12.3 points per game off the bench and shooting 44% from three in 19 games with Oklahoma City.

“I always loved the Philly fans,” McCain said. “They were always super nice to me whenever I went out. When I got hurt, everything coming back from it, they were always just super positive and super helpful in my opinion.”

At shootaround before Monday’s return game, McCain was excited to reunite with his former teammates, who he called “brothers for life.” He and a few friends and family also went back to one of his favorite Philly spots, Double Knot, on Sunday.

But he’s expecting it to be a little strange facing them on the court for the first time.

“When I step on the court and see some of these players, I’m probably going to start laughing, just playing against them,” McCain said. “It’s going to be really weird. It’s going to feel like training camp or something.”